NJ manufacturing company will relocate to Southport, bring 77 jobs

The New Jersey-based company manufactures linear shafting, bearings, supports and other linear products, according to its Facebook page.

Governor Pat McCrory announced in Southport Friday afternoon that Lee Controls will be relocating to Southport.

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Governor Pat McCrory announced Friday afternoon that Lee Controls will be relocating to Southport.

The New Jersey-based company manufactures linear shafting, bearings, supports and other linear products.

The new facility is expected to bring 77 jobs to the area in the next three years, and hopefully 100 in the next five. Right now, they have about 35 jobs which will be offered to New Jersey employees first. Company leaders say they expect to only fill about half of the jobs that way, the rest of the positions will be local hires. As the company expands, the new positions will also be local hires.

The jobs will be high-paying jobs with benefits, offering salaries in the $60,000 to $80,000 range.

Lee Controls has been in New Jersey for about 40 years, it came under new ownership last spring, and the new leaders, who live in Brunswick County, decided to move it to Southport.

They say the state's recent tax reform is one of the reasons why they chose the location off of Highway 133. The Vice President of Business Development, says they were offered more money from one location in South Carolina, but because of the new North Caroline tax legislation, they picked Southport.

"The tax legislation that was recently passed tipped the scales," said Gordon Corlew, the Vice President of Business Development for Lee Controls. "The county and state both offered help getting us down here, that was part of it, and the other part is looking at this beautiful building, that has three 5 ton cranes already in place, it was an ideal facility for our manufacturing."

He says both the county and Southport officials were very accommodating, especially when it came to hooking up sewer facilities. He says, if they hire the promised 77 employees, they will receive $40,000 in incentives from the state, and $40,000 in incentives from the county.

They expect to have the plant up and running by the beginning of 2014.